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| "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt  Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Theologian, Spiritual Writer, Author of Fiction and Poetry, Pastor. Central figure in the Protestant church struggle against Nazism. I have always been drawn to those who put their life on the line for their values. When I was twenty-three I read “The Cost of Discipleship” and was profoundly influenced by his historical insight found within the opening preface.  Richard Foster
Foster is best known for his 1978 book Celebration of Discipline which examines the inward disciplines of prayer, fasting, meditation, and study in the Christian life, the outward disciplines of simplicity, solitude, submission, and service, and the corporate disciplines of confession, worship, guidance, and celebration. He also wrote Freedom of Simplicity (one of my personal favorite writings) which further explores the discipline of simple, intentional living.
Saint Francis
Francis's attitude towards the natural world, while poetically expressed, was conventionally Christian. He believed that the world was created good and beautiful by God but suffers a need for redemption because of the primordial sin of man. He preached to man and beast the universal ability and duty of all creatures to praise God (a common theme in the Psalms) and the duty of men to protect and enjoy nature as both the stewards of God's creation and as creatures ourselves.
Keith Green
(October 21, 1953 – July 28, 1982) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, musician, and Contemporary Christian Music artist originally from Sheepshead Bay, New York. Green is best known for his strong devotion to evangelical Christianity and his unwavering efforts to stir others to the same. Notable songs written by Green include "Your Love Broke Through," "You Put This Love In My Heart," and "Asleep In The Light," as well as the popular modern hymns "O Lord, You're Beautiful" and "There Is A Redeemer". Keith Green stands out to me as an example of radical Christian living put into practice in our culture.
Rich Mullins
Rich Mullins grew up attending Arba Friends Meeting, a Quaker church in Lynn, Indiana. The Quaker testimonies of peace and social justice later inspired many of his lyrics.
The profits from his tours and the sale of each album went to his church, which divided it up, paid Mullins a small salary, and gave the rest to charity. Mullins was also a major supporter of Compassion International and Compassion USA.
His faith can be understood by a quote he gave at a concert shortly before his death. He stated that:
Jesus said whatever you do to the least of these my brothers you’ve done it to me. And this is what I’ve come to think. That if I want to identify fully with Jesus Christ, who I claim to be my savior and Lord, the best way that I can do that is to identify with the poor. This I know will go against the teachings of all the popular evangelical preachers. But they’re just wrong. They’re not bad, they’re just wrong. Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children in a beautiful little house where you have no gays or minority groups anywhere near you. Christianity is about learning to love like Jesus loved and Jesus loved the poor and Jesus loved the broken.
John Wesley
Wesley's call to personal and social holiness continues to challenge Christians who struggle to discern what it means to participate in the Kingdom of God. Personally a powerful influence on my own Theology and its application to life. You may have never read Wesley but it would be almost impossible in our Christian world not to have read and be influenced by someone who has. His writings on personal holiness changed the landscape of the Church calling us back to an apostolic view of the Christian life. My personal theology is well outside the realm of John Wesley and yet Wesley in many ways helped usher in the inbreaking of the Kingdom we see now.
John Wimber
Wimber's teaching influenced many Christians, both inside and out of the Vineyard movement. He is well known for a strong emphasis on "authenticity," and doing nothing for "religious effect." One of the key foundations of his teaching was intimacy with God, rather than religious habit and discipline. He also emphasized the idea that Church services should be casual, informal and led by the Holy Spirit, meaning that worship shouldn't include scripted prayers or structured liturgy. Another characteristic is in the area of teaching, which emphasized preaching extensively from the gospels and using Jesus as the model for Christian believers. 
J. Rodmans Williams Known by the Regent community as an inspiring teacher, influential theologian, Dr. J. Rodman Williams served as professor of theology at Regent University’s School of Divinity from 1982 until his retirement in 2001. A prolific writer, he authored nine books and numerous journal articles. Williams was best known for Renewal Theology, the first systematic theology written from a renewal perspective. Through his groundbreaking work, Williams became known as the theological father of the Charismatic Renewal movement.
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